Litter boxes are owned by virtually all cat owners. Such litter absorbs animal waste and is applied to the litter box as granulated absorbent material. Litter can spill from the box and attach itself to the cat's paws and fur which is then deposited on the floor and furniture in the litter box's immediate vicinity.
Mats are typically used to surround the litter box which are strategically placed as to receive litter from the cat's paws and from the box itself. As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,388, many prior art mats have short, spike-like projections intended to enter and spread the soft pads on the underside of the cat's paws to allow litter wedged between and on the pads to fall onto the mat before the cat reaches its edge. Recognizing that cats can often times find such projections uncomfortable, the '388 patent suggested producing cat litter mats having paw-engaging projections formed of thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers.
It has now been determined that such projections or nubs can be further made more accepting to a cat by composing them of silicone rubber. Mats made of silicone rubber not only encourage engagement by the cat but, due to its flexibility, enhances litter disposable in a fashion far superior to mats currently in use.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a cat litter mat which exhibits the benefits of prior art designs but also is provided with features which improves litter disposal and general maintenance.
These and further objects will be more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims.